


Breathe You In

by DizzyDrea



Series: Scenes From an Accidental Courtship [14]
Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: F/M, Injury Recovery, Reunions, Romance, Trope Bingo Round 10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 01:22:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14485710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DizzyDrea/pseuds/DizzyDrea
Summary: When Callen wakes up in the hospital after being exposed to a biological agent, he finds that Hetty has sent him the one person he most wants to see.





	Breathe You In

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story back in 2015, but never did get around to posting it. I have no idea why. I also can't quite remember which episode inspired it, though I think it was _Black Wind_. If you know, let me know so I can credit appropriately.
> 
> ETA: This is a story from the _Scenes from an Accidental Courtship_ series. I've added the series link, so it should make more sense now.
> 
> For the _Reunions_ square on my Trope Bingo card.
> 
> Disclaimer: NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles and all its particulars are the property of CBS, Paramount, Donald P. Bellisario, Belisarius Productions, Shane Brennan, Shane Brennan Productions, and a lot of other people who aren’t me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.

~o~

The first time G Callen woke up, he was met by the smiling face of his partner and a sharp stab of _not dead_ that set the heart monitors to beeping like crazy. It was a feeling he was—unfortunately—getting used to; the profound sense of relief that washed through him at that moment was almost dizzying. 

He'd hit the button to seal himself into the lab knowing full well it would probably be his last conscious act on earth, but knowing he'd done the right thing. If he'd had one regret in that moment, it would have been that he'd never get to see Nell again. 

Providence, it seemed, had smiled on him.

Little things had filtered into his consciousness in the few moments he'd been awake: his throat was sore, a sure sign if ever there was one that he'd been intubated at some point. And he wasn't in Los Angeles anymore. Hospital rooms were alike the world over, but this one seemed a bit nicer, for all that he could see on his back.

He drifted in and out of consciousness over the next day and a half. His doctor told him it was to be expected; his body needed time to purge the toxins, no matter that he'd been given the antidote in plenty of time. Healing was, much to his displeasure, a slow process.

Sam went home sometime on day three of being conscious (which was, in reality, day five after exposure, and man did he hate losing time like that). He'd let his daughter talk to Uncle Callen, but it had been clear from what little he'd heard of Sam's conversation with her after that that she missed her daddy. So, Sam headed home and Callen tried not to think about how he'd manage flying home by himself once he was released.

He probably shouldn't have worried, because the next time he woke up, it was to a mop of fiery red hair partially obscuring a much loved face, currently slumped into the mattress of his bed, sound asleep.

Callen almost cried, he was so relieved. He should have known that Hetty would eventually send Nell to his side. Henrietta Lange was many things, but a closet romantic was definitely one of them.

He couldn't help himself; he reached out, brushing his fingers over her hair, just to make sure she was real, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone if they asked. Nell twitched, then her eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times to clear her vision.

"You're awake," she said as she sat up, then wrinkled her nose. "Way to state the obvious, Nell."

Callen couldn't help himself; he grinned, a chuckle bringing with it a cough that still sounded too much like he'd had bronchitis instead of been poisoned. At least they'd taken away the oxygen mask and fitted him with a nasal cannula; not that it was any more comfortable, but at least he could talk now.

"And you're here," he said when he could finally talk without it setting off another coughing jag.

"Yeah," she said, her sheepish shrug telling him more than words could, though she explained anyway. "I... wasn't too much help at the office. Hetty finally got tired of me moping around and put me on a plane. Her words."

Callen smiled. It sounded like something their boss would say. And while he couldn't imagine a Nell Jones that would ever slack off at work, he knew she'd had to be worried about him; they'd all been worried, no matter how many updates Sam sent their way. "I'm glad she did. I was starting to get bored."

Which wasn't even the half of it, but he figured he didn't need to bore her with the details of how he was slowly but surely driving the nursing staff to drink.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, then cringed. "What am I saying? You feel miserable, I'm sure. And you don't need me reminding you of that. I should have brought you a book or something. Not that you're up to reading, but maybe I could have read to you. I mean, I brought a book, but I don't think you want me reading you—"

"Nell," he said gently, resting his hand over hers where they were fidgeting on the blanket. She stilled, and the look on her face was so lost that it nearly took his breath away. "I'm okay. Still in one piece, and I'll be back at Ops driving Hetty crazy in no time."

"I know," she said quietly. "It's just—we almost lost you. I almost lost you, and what if—" She cut herself off before she could complete the thought, then nibbled her lip a bit before she blurted out, "Marry me?"

Callen stared at her for a long moment before he patted the bed beside him. "Come here."

She stood, shuffling closer to the bed, allowing Callen to tug her until she was stretched out beside him on top of the covers. If the nurses found them, they'd probably give him the scolding of a lifetime, but he didn't care. He needed to hold Nell as much as she needed to be held by him. 

Once she'd settled, he pressed a kiss to her head. "Okay, you want to tell me what's going on here?"

"You almost died," she said quietly, nibbling on her thumbnail. Her shrug was a barely-there movement of the shoulders, but the meaning was quite clear. She couldn't really put into words what she was feeling, the enormity of it. Truth was, he was having some trouble with it himself.

"So you ask me to marry you?"

Nell buried her nose in his chest, pressing her whole body into him as she began to shake. He wrapped his arms around her, heedless of the IVs and other assorted cords and cables attached to him. He stroked her back soothingly, whispering assurances in her ear and pressing kisses to her head as he waited for the storm to pass.

But, when she finally lifted her head, her eyes weren't bright with tears but laughter. "I'm sorry. That was probably the worst timing in the history of ever."

"Okay, now I'm really confused," he said, frowning. "Why aren't you crying?"

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle yet another laugh. "I'm sorry. Sorry," she said, shaking her head as more giggles leaked out. "Believe me when I say I've cried more in the last week than I have in years. But—" she paused before going on, "it's just—I've been thinking about this for a while now, and wondering if maybe you were gonna ask, and then knowing that if I didn't bring it up, you probably wouldn't and—"

"Take a breath, Nell," Callen said. He cupped her cheek in his palm, the beginnings of a smile peaking out. "So, you wait until I'm in a hospital, recovering from a near-death experience, to ask me if I'll marry you?"

"Pretty much, yeah," she said, nodding and sighing. "I know, my timing sucks."

"Pretty much, yeah," he said, smirking as well as he was able with a cannula up his nose. "I guess the only question I have is, did you mean it? Do you really want to marry me?"

Nell nodded. "More than anything."

"Well, then," he said, gentling his smile to the one he only reserved for her, "when I get out of here, we'll have to work on that."

Her smile stretched nearly off her face. As proposals went, it left a lot to be desired, and Sam would have words with him if he ever found out. But for as much as Hetty Lange was a closet romantic, Sam Hanna had her beat, and it wasn't even close. He'd just have to make sure Sam never found out about this.

Callen tugged her down and placed a gentle, chaste kiss to her lips, one that lingered for just a moment longer than necessary. He had no interest in testing his lung capacity at this point, but he wasn't going to let the moment slip away without at least a kiss. When Nell pulled back, she wore a contented smile, which was worth any momentary discomfort that might come from kissing her.

She settled back down at his side, and within moments, she was asleep. She probably hadn't been getting enough—or maybe any, knowing her as he did—rest while he'd been stuck in the CDC hospital so far from home. Hopefully Hetty would give them both time off after they arrived back in LA. They both appeared to need it.

The nurse chose that moment to enter the room, and by the scowl on her face, Callen knew he'd be getting an earful at some point, and maybe not just from the nurse. He thought a pre-emptive strike might be in order so he could at least enjoy Nell's weight against him for a little longer.

"My fiancée hasn't been sleeping well since I was exposed," he said in a low voice.

The scowl transformed into an understanding smile, and Callen was grateful when she didn't push to move Nell back to the chair. Instead, she simply checked his vitals, updated his chart and patted him on his shoulder on her way out.

Forced bed rest might suck, but Nell was there now, and he apparently had wedding plans to look forward to. Of course, even though she'd asked, he hadn't answered, so a proper proposal looked to be on the horizon, but they had time for that.

Contentment settled around Callen, something new and precious that he knew he'd treasure long into the night. He rested his head against hers, breathing her scent into him and committing it to memory as he drifted off to sleep.

~Finis


End file.
